Shantytown kid essay - Grade: A PDF

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Blakely Murphy Shantytown Kid Essay Professor Christofferson November 7, 2016

Shantytown Kid In the autobiographical novel, Shantytown Kid, Azouz Begag shares his inspirational story about growing up in 1960’s France as the son of illiterate Algerian immigrants. Azouz’s parents, Bouzid and Messaouda, were part of the earliest wave of North African settlers who traveled to France to seek economic opportunities. A majority of these families could not afford modern housing, and were forced to reside in shantytowns, which consisted of poorly constructed shacks that could be completely dismantled by a strong gust of wind. The Begag children live in the shantytown of Le Chaâba which is almost an entirely Algerian population, but are integrated with the French children every day in school. Unlike many other Algerian students, Azouz is determined to excel in school and escape his life of poverty in order to rise above the low social standards set for Algerian immigrants in French society. However, his Algerian heritage makes it challenging for him to assimilate into a French society that is divided by invisible walls of discrimination. Begag reveals the numerous hardships Algerians face in their attempt to conform to French culture, such as the multi-dimensional effects of poverty, racism in school and everyday life, fitting in with social groups, and coping with the stress of assimilating into French society.

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Living in extreme poverty is an unfortunate reality for all the families in Le Chaâba. The living conditions of this impoverished community fall far below substandard. For example, there are no sanitation methods. The water from the single pump in the town is from the Rhône River, which is most likely polluted and unfiltered. The residents created a “sewage system” simply by “digging a big hole in the garden and placing in it a large empty heating oil drum open at the top” (page, 5). Another factor that contributes to the poor sanitary conditions in Le Chaâba is the nearby garbage dump where people savagely fight to claim patches of garbage that the “traveling treasure chest” drops off, which ultimately displays the extent of their poverty. The shantytown of Le Chaâba also does not have electricity, nor many substantial food sources; the lack of quality food and intensity of their poverty is evident when Azouz says, “I returned back to Le Chaâba with nothing more than a piece of sugar and some bits of bread” (26). Furthermore, the location of this poverty-stricken community is fairly dangerous. The children frequently ride their bikes near the highway that is a popular site for prostitution. Azouz describes a conflict between the Le Chaâba residents and the hated prostitutes: “as the men and women got out of the cars in various states of undress, they were greeted by a shower of stones and ran off in all directions” (page, 41). Additionally, the children endure a treacherous journey to school every day, which consists of traveling across a clattering bridge over the canal. Living in poverty does not only diminish the quality of the Algerians’ home life, but is a direct obstacle to meeting conformity requirements in school that are necessary for success. The effects of living in poverty hindered the Algerian children’s ability to meet the cultural expectations in school. They do not have sufficient resources to properly clean their clothes or wash themselves, are forced to work in order to help support their families, and the community of Le Chaâba overall, fails to foster an environment that facilitates educational

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success. When discussing proper hygiene in class, Monsieur Grand demands, “take off your socks and lay them flat on your desks…I am going to check how clean each of you is” (79). This scenario is problematic for all of the Arab children in the class, besides Azouz who conveniently put on clean socks that morning, because sufficient methods of cleaning clothes are nonexistent in Le Chaâba. The situation concludes with the exchange of racist accusations between Moussaoui and Monsieur Grand, further upholding the image of Arab students as rebels, misfits, and trouble makers. As a consequence of being extraordinarily poor, it is mandatory in most Algerian immigrant homes that all members work to bring in extra money and food for the family. However, the more the children work, the less time they have to complete their schoolwork. Rabah and Hacène, two of Azouz’s cousins, struggle in school as a result of their parents’ overemphasis on working and under emphasis on excelling in school. They are unable to spend a sufficient amount of time completing homework, and are often surrounded by a noisy environment and harsh treatment from their parents. For example, when Azouz visits Hacène, he describes the chaos that surrounds Hacène as he attempts to write a composition: “Three of his little brothers were crawling around the table…when they bumped into him he pushed them away with his arm…Zidouma spilled a few drops on him and his papers…his father said, ‘go away, get out. I can’t hear anything on the radio now because of you’” (64). It is obvious that Hacène’s family members neglect his needs for being able to complete the assignment, and believe it is more important for Hacène to work than succeed in school. As expected, Hacène does poorly on the composition and fears the pain his father will inflict on him for receiving a low grade. Hacène later reveals to Azouz, “first he beat me with his belt; then he tied my hands behind my back and I slept next to the oil stove…then he tore up my exercise book and threw it

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in the fire” (73). Following this incident, Hacène cares less about school and his grades suffer. Despite the fact that the Begag family is also living in poverty, Azouz’s father did not force him to work and constantly emphasized the importance of succeeding in school; Azouz’s ability to focus solely on his schoolwork and not be preoccupied with work allowed him to excel in school. Algerian children encounter challenges in school not only because of poverty, but simply because their culture is vastly different than the dominant French culture that is being imposed upon them. The Arab students endure intense racism, discrimination, bullying, and humiliation from both teachers and students, which ultimately reduces their desire to learn. Azouz supports this idea when he describes the day that the students learned about well-educated children and polite behavior; Monsieur Grand emphasizes that “a well-brought-up child says good morning, good afternoon, and thank you to adults because those are the things people with good manners say” (51). As the teacher said this statement, Azouz claimed he was looking directly as him, which can be construed as subtle racism. The following day, Azouz decides to take initiative and show the headmaster that Algerian boys can be just as polite as French children. However, the outcome is not one Azouz anticipated; he states, “I went up to them and choked out the words good morning and held out my hand. Nobody took any notice of me…the headmaster burst out laughing…I felt ashamed…I would never do it again” (55-56). The headmaster’s inappropriate reaction essentially discourages Azouz’s effort to display “proper” behavior and conform to the demands of French educators. The Algerian children have great difficulty relating to the assignments given in class. The content of instruction is often foreign to them, which significantly decreases their chances of educational success. When Monsieur Grand asks the students to write about a day in the

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countryside during the holidays, Azouz and the other Algerian students base their stories off what they imagine the countryside to be like because they have never actually been there. It is evident that Azouz is aware of the racist remarks that may occur if he dares to write about any behavior that is uncharacteristic of what they are being taught in school when he says, “I wrote about a child who would go fishing with a net, hunt animals with spears…No, I struck out that last sentence…He would think I was a savage” (52). The Algerian students also feel disconnected to the content of what they are learning when Monsieur Grand teaches the class about their French descendants. Furthermore, the language barrier is a primary source of problems and humiliation for the Algerian children, particularly in school. For example, the few times Azouz gathers enough courage to answer the teacher’s questions in class he responds in Chaâba vocabulary, which is directly followed by laughter and racist comments. The class ranking system is a constant reminder of the Algerian students’ academic inferiority. With Azouz being the exception, the majority of Algerians are consistently at the bottom of their class ranks, and continue to wonder if their failure is rooted in discrimination or if the inferior identity the French established for them is simply impossible to overcome. A group of the Arab students are humiliated in front of their entire class when Monsieur Grand read the ranking list from bottom to top. Azouz describes this intense moment in detail, “First, ‘Ahmed Moussaoui’ Amazement. Horror. Injustice…It was impossible! Then Monsieur Grand looked mischievously towards us and I knew what he was doing…Now everybody was laughing heartily in class, including Monsieur Grand” (70). It became clear that the teacher was passively mocking Moussaoui and his groups of friends, who consistently appear at the bottom of the ranks. In the moments following this public humiliation, Monsieur Grand walks over to the boys and yells, “Hopeless!” The constant shaming of all the Algerian children in class, besides Azouz,

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diminishes their desire to go to school; these students became satisfied with meeting the low social expectations that existed for them in French society, instead of working hard to rise above them. Although Azouz excelled in school, his impeccable grades did not give him immunity to the evils of prejudice. Azouz’s second teacher, Madame Valard, accused him of plagiarizing one of the compositions because an Arab could not have possibly done something that good. With an ugly grin, Madame Valard said to Azouz, “You’re just a fraud. You have copied Maupassant very badly” (182). Azouz insisted he did not plagiarize, but Madame Valard called him a liar, shamed him in front of the whole class, and gave him “the zero he deserved.” After this incident, Azouz’s grades suffered because he worked hard to avoid originality, ultimately making his compositions boring and uninteresting. Furthermore, Azouz was the subject of discriminatory comments during a class debate on inheritance. Azouz eagerly explained, “An inheritance cannot be divided…the eldest brother is responsible for everything when someone dies” (180). The other students immediately started laughing, and one exclaimed, “Only savages behave like that!” (180); the classroom fell silent and all eyes beamed towards Azouz. The Algerians did not only face racism in school, but in their everyday lives as well. For instance, the prostitutes shout to a mob of Algerians during a conflict, “Go to hell! We’re staying here and you’re going to go back to your yard and your mountain goats and take your Arab friends with you, ok?” (39). This type of malicious, racist behavior is common in the exchanges between the Arabs and the prostitutes. Another racist incident towards the Algerians occurs when Bouzid is on his way home from work and the police call him a “dune coon.” Furthermore, when the Bouchaoui’s are leaving Le Chaâba with only three suitcases and two boxes, their taxi driver is extremely judgmental; the taxi driver hesitantly asks, “Is that the luggage there? Is that all

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you’ve got?” (113). It was at that moment that he realized the extent of their poverty and the drastic lifestyle changes they would soon face after moving out of Le Chaâba. Many people in France firmly believe that there is no place for Algerians in French society and they would soon return home where they belong. This discriminatory belief is evident when the property manager asks Bouzid, “So when are you going back to your country?” (198). Individuals in France hoped that the Algerians would return to their homelands so the French social order could be restored. Fitting in with the French children is a key factor to assimilating into society. However, a majority of the French students refuse to associate with any of the Algerian children, besides the few who are acquaintances with Azouz by virtue of his superior academic achievement. For instance, when Azouz and his siblings first move to their new neighborhood, they watch television all summer because no one ever asks them to play. Most of the Algerian children only feel comfortable talking to each other in school, and fear having any extensive associations with the French children. This reality is displayed when Azouz sees Staf, one of his friends, waiting anxiously in front of the school for him and is relieved upon his arrival because he is “happy at last to have someone to speak to” (149). Also, Azouz spots his sister Zohra timidly watching her peers interact on the playground. It is obvious that most of the Algerians are outcasts in society, which makes it extremely difficult for them to assimilate into the dominant culture. However, as Azouz becomes more integrated into French society, relating to his Algerian friends and family becomes increasingly difficult. His academic achievement far surpassed those of his Arab friends, and they begin to question his loyalty. This doubt arose as a result of numerous circumstances in which Azouz appeared more faithful to the French than his Algerian blood. The first incident that sparks doubt is when Nasser’s mom asks Azouz if her son can cheat off of him; he firmly denies her request because he feels that his image as a hardworking student

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would be tarnished. In addition, Monsieur Grand demands that Azouz sit in the front of the classroom next to Jean-Marc Laville, away from his Arab friends, considering his high classranking. Monsieur Grand unknowingly facilitates the emerging divide between Azouz and his Algerian friends when he says, “Look at Azouz! He’s an Arab too, and yet he’s second in the class. So no excuses…you are just a stupid good for nothing” (82). This statement angers his friends and encourages them to turn against Azouz. The disconnect between Azouz and his Algerian friends is also evident when he complies with the absurd request of taking off their socks, laughs along with the French children as Monsieur Grand humiliates Moussaoui in class, and plays with his French classmates at recess. When Azouz lies to the Taboul twins about being Jewish, he displays his willingness to do just about anything to fit in with the other children and supports the doubts regarding his loyalty to the Algerians. Azouz justifies this act by stating, “If I had admitted that I was an Arab, everybody would have frozen me out…I felt humiliated inside. So it was better for me to be Jewish” (156). This lie backfires on Azouz when his mom shows up at school. Panic-stricken, Azouz frantically begs his mom to leave. Yemma and Azouz walk home in silence, with the realization that their relationship would be permanently fragmented. In this situation, Azouz’s desire to form a relationship with his French classmates is more important than revealing his true Algerian heritage and being loyal to his mother. Azouz continues to uphold his image as being disloyal to the Algerians and faithful to the French when he is tricked into revealing the location of his uncle’s illegal slaughterhouses. This event creates a rift between his family members, triggers Bouzid’s intense anger, and consequently results in the collapse of Le Chaâba. As the number of families leaving Le Chaâba increases, Bouzid clings tighter to his cultural values and what is left of the broken community.

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Azouz describes life for the ones left in Le Chaâba as “heavy and dull…the atmosphere became leaden as if the sky had wrapped itself in a blanket of gray-black clouds” (114). The Begag children are noticeably miserable in Le Chaâba, yet Bouzid continues to neglect their needs. Azouz feels extremely distant from Bouzid and at times questions whether he still has a heart; Azouz expresses the distance he feels from his father when he states, “…poetry would not open his heart…Did he even have a heart like ours? I felt distant from him” (121). It is evident that some of Azouz’s actions give the impression that he is more loyal to his French acquaintances than his Algerian family and friends. This reality makes it more difficult for Azouz to relate to them as he continues to assimilate into French society. After Bouzid agrees to move into an apartment in Lyon, Azouz’s family members struggle to cope with the stress of abandoning their traditional Algerian lifestyle. Bouzid in particular has immense difficulty managing his frustrations and the drastic changes that accompany the move. For example, Azouz explains how every time a problem arises Bouzid says, “It serves you right: you wanted to leave. Well now you can dig yourself out of the crap with me!” (162). Bouzid has constant mood swings, outbursts of anger, and takes extreme measures to save money, which angers the children. Zohra displays her intense frustration when she says, “My father’s sudden mood change certainly hadn’t surprised me…We can’t even switch on the electricity when it’s dark. We mustn’t flush the toilet until it’s been used several times. We mustn’t switch on the television. He [Bouzid] really is becoming a pain!” (164). Moving into the apartment also did not help to mend the increasing disconnect between Azouz and his parents. He continues to exhibit behavior that is similar to that of the French children, like staying out late with his friends and watching French television shows, which diverges from Bouzid’s expectations of how he should behave. Bouzid and Messaouda are entrenched in a

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world that is highly different than the one Azouz is working hard to conform to. This new lifestyle is a threat to their traditional culture, values, and sense of community. Azouz’s parents continue to struggle coping with the stress of drastically altering their lifestyle and enforcing their traditional Algerian values on Azouz. The Algerian immigrants struggle to assimilate into French society as a result of their distinct cultural differences, poor living conditions, and the racism they encounter on a daily basis. Azouz’s family in particular has immense difficulties coping with the stress of moving out of Le Chaâba and relating to Azouz as he becomes more accustomed to the French way of life. Azouz is one of the few Algerians who was determined to work hard in school to rise above his peers and overturn the image of Algerians as inferior to the French. His success in education allowed him to move toward the top of French society, and later receive a job as the minister for equal opportunities in the French government; he is also a successful author of several books. Azouz’s inspirational story reveals that it is possible to overcome the deep-rooted social issues between the French and the Algerian immigrants that still echo today, and emerge successful in a society filled with opposition....